The shortage of tomatoes on the market is imminent as importers and transporters of the product have started an indefinite strike.

The strike which started over the weekend is due to what they say is persistent robbery attacks on them on the Kumasi-Bolgatanga-Burkina Faso route.

On Friday, members of the Ghana Transporters and Tomato Traders Association grounded the trucks ready for Burkina Faso for fresh tomatoes.

Two drivers have been killed, whilst more than ten sustained several degrees of injuries in six different attacks in January alone on the same route.

The recent one was on Friday at Pwalugu where the driver was shot and killed after the robbers made away with their money.

According to them especially the truck drivers, they are scared to ply the route because the police are unable to protect them.

“Between Kintampo and Paga is where the attacks often happen because there are too many speed ramps on the roads. Before, they rob and allow you to go but now they shoot you the driver first”, one of the drivers explained.

Two weeks ago, the traders threaten to embark on this strike when 22 year-old truck driver, Urmar Salifu was killed on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, in the North East Region.

The leadership say they have written petition letters to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), copied the Interior Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry and Police Commanders in the Northern Regions.

National Chairman for the association, Eric Osei Tuffuor, is worried nothing seem to have been done about the increasing robbery attacks.

“Around 2am at Pwalugu, another driver was shot dead and the others robbed off their money. We are going to stop the vehicles, there won’t be any tomatoes coming from Burkina to this country, if our problem is solved before we can start importing.”

According to him, “It is only the military escorts that can protect and save our lives. If not, we are not going to bring in tomatoes.”

Six months after December every year, the importers are forced to import tomatoes from Burkina Faso because there are no alternatives locally.

“As I speak now, you cannot get even 10 boxes of tomatoes from any farm gates within Ghana unless Burkina Faso. So we import 70 trucks daily during this period,” Mr Osei Tuffuor revealed.

“I therefore call all my drivers and traders to go on strike, they must part their trucks and there will be no tomatoes for Ghanaians until our problems are solved by the appropriate leaders within the country.”

Meanwhile, the leadership had to stop and prevent some traders that defied the strike directive on Sunday at Kintampo. The traders were coming from Burkina Faso with trucks of tomatoes.